My Angel With Her Dirty Wings
by Princessleia9977
Summary: There was nothing special about Rachel Ward until she mysteriously vanished in the spring 1990 never to be seen or heard from again. She doesn't remember what happened to her that night, only that she died and is now a ghost left to wander the Earth in search of a way to somehow let go and move on. But what is it exactly that's preventing her from letting go? EmbryXOC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello readers! Welcome to my very first Twilight fanfiction. I can only hope that you like it and that I am able to add something unique to the sea of awesome fanfic ideas out there and also so that I may improve my skills as a writer. I am completely open to ideas and criticism, so if you have something that you would like to share with me, please don't hesitate.**

 **This story has been on my mind for literally years and I am finally getting around to writing it. This story will be an EmbryXOC imprint story with a twist. I have decided that it will take place sometime in 2008 during Embry's senior year of high school, so roughly about 1-2 years after Breaking Dawn Part II. This story will be centered mainly around the wolf pack so don't expect the Cullen's to be making any surprise appearances. They ended up moving to Alaska and Jake went with them, so the two packs have reunited save for Leah who is at college and finally moving on with her life.**

 **Warnings: This fic will contain graphic scenes of murder and will hint at rape. If you're not comfortable with that, then I recommend that you don't read this.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of those characters. A few of these characters are mine, but everything else pretty much belongs to Stephanie Meyer and his inspired by her work.**

 **Prologue**

 **V**

Forks, Washington

1990

 _Her footsteps pounded against the wet concrete as she swiftly made her way over to her car, the feeling of heavy raindrops falling on her head and drenching her urged her to quicken her pace._

 _The sound of thunder roared above her as she pulled her jacket around her tighter so as to protect her from the freezing rain, but it was not enough to keep her from shivering as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. She was anxious to get out the torrential rain and into the safety of her car so she could get home before her parents started to worry. She had never stayed out this late on a Friday evening and she could only hope that her parents were too busy to notice just how late it was._

 _She couldn't help but shiver, both from the cold and a sudden eerie feeling of being watched. Her skin crawled as she turned to look around at the practically empty parking lot before scanning the woods over carefully as she looked for anything that was out of the ordinary._

 _Content that there was nothing out there, she turned around and was about to slide her key into the lock when the silver carabiner slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground, eliciting a curse from the young girl as she bent down and grabbed them._

 _It wasn't until she stood up that she noticed the hooded figure staring at her through the reflection of her window, causing her to gasp and she swung around to face the strange figure that had suddenly appeared behind her without warning._

 _The hooded figure held up a silver knife that glinted dangerously in the moonlight before bringing it down to rest against her throat, the cool metal gliding precariously across the delicate skin of her neck, causing her to whimper in terror as she shut her eyes as tight as she could._

 _Her heart hammered inside of her chest as she felt strong hands on her arm and then she was dragged into the woods, never to be seen again._

 _She screamed that night, but no one heard her._

 _The rain drowned everything out._

 **V**

 **AN: Next chapter will be up soon. Comment and tell me what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed. I hope that you enjoy my story and that it is unique enough to stand out in the sea of Twilight fanfiction. I'm sorry for the late update, but I am currently on vacation and I am also trying to get my other fic updated as well. I hope you enjoy!**

 **V**

La Push, Washington

2008

It was like the wolf was gliding as he ran through the forest, the earth beneath his paws damp and muddy as he ran between the trees with only the moonlight to guide him. Everything else seemed to fade away as he ran without a care in the world, the feeling of the wind in his fur both freeing and exhilarating. As he allowed his paws to carry him away from his human problems and worries, allowing his wild side to take the reins.

The world passed him by in a blur until he began to eventually slow down somewhere along the southern border of the Reservation. Eventually, he came to a slow trot as he sniffed the air around him before he let out a howl to let the rest of the pack know that that part of the forest was safe.

A chorus of howls echoed in the woods all around him before he set off to meet up with the rest of the pack, eager to end his shift and grab something to eat at Emily's. He hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning and he was absolutely famished, and he couldn't help but salivate at the thought of Emily's cooking.

 _"_ _Not so fast, Embry,"_ came Sam's voice inside his head. _"I'm going to need you to patrol the eastern border tonight for Paul."_

 _"_ _Why can't Paul do it?"_ asked Embry with annoyance lacing his thoughts. It seemed as though he was always picking up the slack for Paul these days and it seemed as though Sam always turned to him to make it up for the other guys.

If Paul couldn't fucking take his shifts, then what was the point of him continuing to phase?

 _"_ _Paul's busy which means someone is going to have to pick up his shift for the night,"_ thought Sam.

 _"_ _Why can't Jared do it?"_ whined Embry.

 _"_ _Hey! Don't drag me into this! I have plans with Kim tonight,"_ thought Jared as he butted his way into the conversation. _"Besides, you don't have an imprint to keep up with so you're free as is."_

Embry growled before he was silenced by Sam's thundering voice through the pack bond.

It was true that Embry did not have an imprint, but he had his mother and that was ten times worse.

 _"_ _Stop it, both of you. Jared go before I change my mind. Embry, if you do this for me you can have the weekend off,"_ said Sam, his tone unwavering.

 _"_ _What? How come-"_ came Jared's surprised and slightly jealous voice through the bond.

Sam merely growled to get his point across which caused Jared to whine as he looked down at the ground in submission before he ran off towards Emily's house where his imprint would be waiting for him. It was obvious he didn't want to stick around to see what else Sam had to say.

 _"_ _Really? The whole weekend?"_ asked Embry as his ears perked up.

 _"_ _I think you've earned it,"_ said Sam in reference to all the shifts that he had picked up in the last month that were not his. Everyone's lives had become increasingly busy and even though he didn't have an imprint to worry about like most of the other guys, life was still pretty hectic for Embry.

His mother was getting worse and Senior year was already a bust. Plus, Embry had taken up a job down at the garage with some of the other guys fixing up cars and shit, so even he was getting pretty held up when it came to responsibilities and it looked as though things wouldn't be getting any easier.

He had no particular plans for after graduation despite his mothers nagging attempts to get him to apply to college somewhere, but Embry already knew that that would not be happening.

His plans for post-graduation were to keep working down at the shop until he could afford to move out and away from his mother. Not really all that grand, but Embry really didn't have any other options. The only ones of the pack to go off to college were Leah and Jacob had left with the bloodsuckers for Alaska. The others had settled down and had gotten work somewhere.

 _"_ _Thanks, Sam,"_ thought Embry with a smirk before he took off for the eastern border, eager to finish up as fast as he could for the night. Already it was starting to get late and Embry knew his mother would have a cow if he stayed out much longer, but there was really nothing he could do about that. He couldn't even remember the last time he had actually been home on time.

He patrolled up and down the eastern border of the Reservation for a few hours, but nothing exciting happened and Embry soon became bored. He sniffed around at the air for any sign of the sickly-sweet scent that he had unfortunately become accustomed to these past few years, but all he smelled was the rain and the salty breeze from the ocean.

He trotted up and down the border for another hour before he felt Seth phase and start to make his way over, ready to take over Embry's shift for him.

 _"_ _Working late again?"_ thought Seth as he made his way through the trees and over to where Embry sat hunched on his hind-legs.

 _"_ _When am I not?"_ thought Embry grimly. _"But at least now I have the entire weekend off."_

 _"_ _Really? He gave you the whole weekend off?"_ asked Seth with obvious jealousy laced in his tone. _"I wish he'd give me the weekend off, then maybe I could go up to Seattle with Lilah."_

 _"_ _Why not during the week?"_ asked Embry.

 _"_ _We're both busy during the week and she goes down to Seattle to spend time with her dad on the weekends,"_ thought Seth grimly. It was obvious that it was tearing Seth apart that he wasn't able to spend every day with his imprint because of her busy schedule. It wasn't so much because of his own schedule but because his imprint, Lilah Jacobs was a gymnast prodigy who spent her day's training until she could no longer walk. It was her passion and her dream to one day be in the Olympics and Seth was not about to ruin that, so he gave her the time needed to practice, but everyone who knew Seth could see that it was taking its toll on him. But he loved her enough to give her space and although he didn't see her as much as he would like, they still managed to carve out a few hours during most weekdays. It wasn't that much but it was better than nothing.

Embry couldn't help but feel like an asshole for saying he was glad he didn't have an imprint to hold him down and take up his time like it did the others. He didn't need to worry about when he would see them next or where they were every hour of every day.

He was free without an imprint and perfectly happy to keep it that way.

 _"_ _Sorry man. Maybe Sam will give you the next weekend off if you work a double shift like me,"_ suggested Embry to which Seth only nodded.

 _"_ _I'll ask him for more shifts tomorrow. You could use a break anyway."_

 _"_ _Thanks, man. I owe you one,"_ thought Embry as he sniffed the air once again before he took off through the woods again, leaving Seth behind to his patrol as his thoughts drifted to dinner.

He stopped just outside the edge of the forest before he phased back into his human self and pulled up a pair of cut-offs and a loose t-shirt on before he made his way into the house, the smell of food assaulting his nose as he made a bee-line for the kitchen.

"Hey Embry," greeted a chipper Emily as she pointed over at an already hot and made a plate of casserole sitting on the counter just waiting to be consumed by no other than him. "Sam said you'd be stopping by for dinner so I went ahead and made you a plate."

"Emily, you're a godsend," said Embry as he scooped up the plate and made his way over to the table where he proceeded to inhale the mound of food in front of him.

Emily chuckled, "I knew you'd be hungry. You boys always are."

Embry grinned as he shoveled the casserole into his mouth, almost too fast for him to swallow before he downed it with some water that had been left on the table. Already, the rest of the pack had eaten and had either gone home or started their shift, but at least Emily was kind enough these days to make an extra plate for those working overtime.

"You should probably head on home, Embry. You wouldn't want to worry your mom too much," said Emily as she scraped some food off of a plate and into the garbage can.

He snorted as he set his glass down and shook his head. "My mom is used to me staying out this late. She's probably gone to bed by now."

"How is she these days?" asked a curious Emily as she wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the counter.

Embry shrugged, "fine, I guess. She and I don't really speak that much anymore."

"Why not?" asked Emily softly.

"Because I'm always out late and I never have a good explanation as to why. She thinks I'm in a gang and that I smoke pot and stuff but I can't tell her what I'm really up to, so I let her believe what she wants too."

"I know how much you work, Embry. I'm sure it's tiring for both you and your mother."

"Well, yeah. I don't really remember the last time I spent time with her, or really anyone outside of the pack. I've been too busy to really do anything else other than school and work."

"It's probably a good thing you don't have an imprint," said Emily with a comforting smile.

"Oh yeah," chuckled Embry. "You don't know how thankful I am. I don't think I could survive if I had one."

Emily was about to respond when the shrill cry of a newborn broke the silence, forcing her to make her way down the hall and into the nursery where little Jenni was screaming for her mother's attention. Embry waited patiently for a few moments before she came back into the kitchen, the baby girl secure in her arms and no longer crying.

"Sorry about that. Little Jenni just wanted her mama's attention," said Emily as she bounced the now smiling little girl in her arms.

Embry smiled as he waved over to the little tyke before he stood up and went over to the sink where he proceeded to rinse out his dishes and place them in the dishwasher. Unlike some of the others in the pack, Embry actually was capable of doing his own dishes.

"Thanks again for the food, but I should be getting home. It's late and I have an anatomy test tomorrow that I have not studied for," he said as he grabbed his coat that he had left the other day and started to make his way for the door when Emily grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Embry, your mom worries about you because she loves you. You should spend some time with her if you can. I'm sure she'd appreciate it," said Emily with a sad smile. It seemed that ever since Emily herself had become a mother, she had seen the world through different lenses. She had already been a nurturing individual before she got pregnant, but now she worried about all of them more so than she had ever in the past.

Embry gave her a tight smile, "I'll see you tomorrow, Emily."

It was starting to rain by the time he pulled out onto the road and turned his windshield wipers on. The moon reflected brightly through the canopy of trees along with the lights of his car as he drove down the dark and windy road with only the soft music coming through the radio for company.

He was about ten minutes out from his house when his keen eyesight spotted something moving along the tree line on the passenger side. He could've sworn he saw a figure walking down the shoulder but when he blinked, the figure disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.

"Strange," he muttered as he turned his attention back to the road. Embry could smell that there were no humans nearby so he merely dismissed it as nothing more than just a shadow of a tree or something.

He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and gave it no more thought.

 **V**


	3. Chapter 3

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 **Enjoy!**

 **V**

Embry counted the days down until the weekend religiously for the next few days until it was finally Friday. Only one more patrol and then he would have the entire weekend off and then Thanksgiving break would begin. Only one more patrol until he was free from long night shifts and early morning patrols.

 _"_ _Then I'll be free from doing Paul's shifts,"_ he thought bitterly as he leaped off a large boulder and onto the ground, his massive paws leaving behind huge prints in the mud.

 _"_ _Quit being a brat,"_ thought Paul with an annoyed groan from inside of his head.

 _"_ _Quit skirting your responsibilities,"_ snapped Embry as he glared over at the dark silver streak that was running a good twenty paces beside him.

Embry could feel Paul's anger through the pack bond and he knew that he had just pissed off the temperamental wolf, but he didn't really care at that point anymore. He was just pissed that he had to cover Paul's last three shifts. He didn't care what excuse Paul had at that point because there was no excuse for not performing his duties to the Tribe.

 _"_ _What are you complaining about anyway? You have the entire fucking weekend off,"_ growled Paul in warning as they began to slow down from a running pace to a slow trot. _"So I'd quit bitching if I were you or else."_

 _"_ _Or else what?"_ thought Embry hotly as he felt the threat behind Paul's words. _"Or else what, Paul?"_

Paul snapped at him as he bared his teeth for the gray wolf to see, _"or else I'll make sure you'll be too black and blue to enjoy your weekend off."_

 _"_ _Are you threatening me?"_ asked Embry as a very low growl started to emit from his mouth.

 _"_ _I wouldn't if you'd stop being a little bitch-"_

Paul never got the chance to finish that statement before Embry was leaping through the air with his teeth bared and his claws extended as he swatted at the snarling silver wolf. They skirmished for only a few seconds before a sleek black wolf burst through the clearing and growled at them to stop what they were doing.

The two wolfs backed away from each other but the snarling and growling did not cease as they stared at each other and waited to see which one of them backed off first. It was like this for a few more seconds before Sam's loud voice boomed through their heads and forced them to stop their standoff.

 _"_ _Paul, east border. Now," commanded Sam. "Embry, west border. And no talking to each other."_

 _"_ _I just patrolled the east border,"_ whined Paul.

 _"_ _Well I'm sure you'll have fun patrolling it again,"_ thought Sam before he turned his attention over to Embry. _"And I'm sure you won't mind doing an extra shift before you go on your break that I so graciously gave to you?"_

Embry shook his head with newfound vigor before he took off for the westernmost part of the border without so much as a whine. There was no way that he could lose his precious weekend off now and he would be damned if he lost it because of Paul.

 _"_ _Fuck Paul,"_ he thought to himself as he leaped from the ground and onto a nearby boulder before leaping off. _"He's just an egotistical prick."_

Embry continued to run through the woods with slowly dissipating anger as he jumped and leaped from boulder to boulder and from fallen tree to fallen tree. He was practically gliding through the forest as he poured all of his strength and energy into his hind paws and pushed off of them like a spring before landing gracefully on his front two legs and so forth and so on. His lithe form soared through the air with both agilely and grace but also with clandestine strength and raw power that was both untamed and yet beautiful.

He was still thinking about Paul as he ran up to a nearby creek and leaped off the ground with his hind legs and into the air with his front paws out in front of him and his razor-sharp claws extended so as to catch himself on the other side of the embankment. But as soon as Embry was already soaring through the air he noticed that there was a woman standing on the other side of the creek exactly where he was about to land.

His eyes widened, and he let out a yelp as he tried to stop himself mid-jump, but there was nothing that he could do as he flew towards her in what felt like slow motion. The woman looked up just in time to see the gray wolf that was flying towards her and her hazel eyes widened in shock and surprise as she looked straight into his own brown ones.

And that was the moment gravity shifted.

An image of Emily's horrifically scarred face entered his mind as his claws drew nearer to her fragile and soft face that would undoubtedly be shredded by his massive claws that were meant only for the impossibly strong skin of vampires.

Embry closed his eyes as he prepared to ram straight into his imprint but found that his body never hit hers. Instead, he crashed onto the hard earth and skidded for a good few feet as he tried his best to stop himself. He couldn't help but let out a surprised and slightly pained yelp as he pummeled the side of a tree face first before he finally came to a full and complete stop. He could feel dirt and pine needles plastered against his fur and he was certain that he could feel a slow but steady trickle of blood on his forehead that was starting to mat his fur together, but he didn't care about his injuries one bit as he rose to his legs and whipped his head around to look at the embankment. He had to make sure that his imprint was okay as he frantically looked over at where her bloodied and crumped body should've been laying the dirt, but there was nothing there.

He shook himself off of the needles and dirt before he ran over to the creek and searched diligently for any sign of her, but she was gone. It was like she had never even been there in the first place but that was impossible. Embry had seen her and there was no doubt that he had imprinted on her.

The very moment that her surprised hazel eyes had looked into his she had become his everything. It wasn't gravity holding him down to Earth anymore. It was her.

Embry let out a panicked whine as he sniffed the air but found nothing in the air that was indicative that anyone had even been there. In fact, there was nothing in the air to indicate that anyone had been in that area for a long time save for the pack.

He should've been able to smell her and to hear her heartbeat long before he ever crashed into her, but he hadn't and when he had accidentally crashed into her she had disappeared. He couldn't even remember hitting anything solid when he rammed into her.

 _It had been like gliding through_ air _._

 _"_ _Embry!"_ cried out Quil through his mind as he felt his pack mate drawing near to him. _"Embry! Are you alright man?!"_

 _"_ _Where is she?!"_ cried Embry in desperation as he ran up and down the embankment frantically. _"Have you seen her? Is she hurt? Is she okay?!"_

 _"_ _Woah Woah slow down, Embry. What are you talking about?"_ asked Quil as he burst through the tree line and made his way over to his friend with worry lacing his thoughts as he tried his best to make sense of Embry's jumbled thoughts and emotions through the bond.

 _"_ _My imprint!"_ cried out Embry as he let out a pained whine. _"I didn't mean to run into her, I swear I didn't see her. She just came out of nowhere!"_

 _"_ _Embry calm down, man. Sam's on his way here then we can sort this all out,"_ thought Quil in a calming tone.

 _"_ _But you saw her, right? Through my thoughts? Please tell me you saw her too,"_ he begged as his tail wagged restlessly.

 _"_ _I saw her too,"_ said Quil in an assuring tone as he made his way over to the embankment and sniffed at the air as well, but like Embry, he smelled nothing indicative of a human or a vampire. There was just nothing there to smell except the scent of nature and the slight ocean breeze.

 _"_ _You saw her through my thoughts, Quil. You know she was here, but I can't smell her or anything,"_ thought a distraught Embry. _"Where she could have gone?'_

 _"_ _I don't know,"_ said Quil, who looked just as lost as Embry. _"Maybe she ran away, and you didn't run into her?"_

 _"_ _No, I ran into her. I know I did. There was no way she could've run away that fast,"_ thought Embry.

Quil was about to think something when Sam burst through the trees and made his way over to the both of them, his dark eyes assessing the blood that was matting Embry's fur as well as his forlorn expression.

 _"_ _What happened?"_ he demanded.

 _"_ _Embry imprinted on some girl that he accidentally ran into,"_ thought Quil. _"And now we can't seem to find her."_

Embry projected the images of what had happened over to Sam, who sat watching in silence as he saw exactly what both Embry and Quil had seen. When it was all over, he rose to his legs and made his way over to Embry.

 _"_ _Go to Emily's and get that gash on your forehead fixed. The rest of us will search the woods and try to find her."_

 _"_ _No!"_ cried Embry in desperation. _"I have to find her, Sam. She's out there somewhere and she's hurt and it's all my fault-"_

 _"_ _That wasn't a suggestion, Embry. That was an order. Go clean yourself up and calm down and then you come out and search with us,"_ thought Sam as he left no room for questioning.

Embry let out a long whine as he looked over at the alpha with unadulterated sorrow in his eyes as he silently begged Sam to allow him to search with them for her, but the black wolf was unwavering as he pounded his paw against the ground and ordered him back to Emily's.

 _"_ _We'll let you know if we find her, Embry,"_ comforted Quil as Embry started to drag himself away from the two of them. _"If she's out there we'll find her and we'll get her help if she needs it."_

 _"_ _Promise me you'll find her,"_ thought Embry. _"Promise me Quil!"_

 _"_ _She couldn't have gotten far, Embry. Trust me, we'll find her,"_ thought Sam. _"I already have Brady and Paul searching for her as well. One of us is bound to run into her."_

Embry said nothing as he began to trot away from both Sam and Quil. He let out a small whine as he felt a burning spread up his left hind leg that caused him to have a slight limp as he made his way to Emily's. He hadn't even noticed that he had messed up his leg until he started the short trek to the little cottage that was Sam and Emily's home probably due to the fact that he was far more worried about his imprint than he was about himself.

The pain wasn't all that bad, but it was enough to slow him down a lot more than he already was. It was hard enough for him to walk away when he knew that she out there somewhere and that she could be hurt because of him. He just wanted to turn around and search all over the woods until he found her, but Sam had given him an order and he couldn't just say no to him.

He phased and slipped on a pair of cutoffs with a soft groan as he felt the aftermath of his little stunt back there. He was covered head to toe in dirt and pine needles not to mention the fact that his body was littered with small cuts and bruises. His leg throbbed and he could feel dried blood on his forehead as he limped into the house and into the kitchen where Emily was busy preparing a formula bottle for little Jenni, who sat at the counter in her little high chair.

As soon as the baby girl saw Embry she let out a shrill little gurgle and pointed over at him with her little finger before she smacked her tiny hands down on the tray in front of her, causing Emily to look up from her task at hand and gasp at the sight of the young man.

"Embry? What happened to you?" she asked as she sat the formula down and made her way over to him to make sure that he was alright.

"I'm fine, Emily. I just had a little accident," he said as he lowered himself down on the chair next to the gurgling baby with a soft groan.

"What happened?" she demanded as she pulled out a washcloth and began to wet it at the sink before she handed it back over to him. Embry accepted it and held it up to his slightly pounding forehead and began to mop away at the crusty flakes of blood.

He hadn't realized until now just how bad the gash on his forehead had been but he wasn't too concerned seeing as it was already beginning to heal. He must've hit that tree harder than he had originally thought.

"I don't know Emily," he said truthfully as leaned back in his chair and groaned. "She just came out of nowhere and I tried not to run into her but I think I did and I have no idea if she's alright-"

"Who are you talking about? Did you run into someone?" she asked as she looked at him with newfound concern as her lower lip twitched, causing her scars to twitch as well.

Embry's eyes trailed along the deep and ragged lines that ran down her beautiful face and he couldn't help but shudder at the thought of his claws tearing into his imprints delicate skin and marring her beautiful face. He knew he shouldn't even be thinking something like that but he was so certain that he had ripped her face apart like Sam had Emily's. It wasn't like Emily's scars took away from her beauty, in fact, Embry had always thought that Emily looked even more beautiful with them but to think that he had done that to his own imprint was unbearable.

It was funny how just yesterday Embry had been completely against the idea of imprinting but today after having just seen her for maybe three seconds at most he was already whipped. He didn't even know her name or where she was from. Hell, he didn't even really know what she looked like.

All he knew was that she had the most brilliant hazel eyes he had ever seen in his entire life.

"I-I imprinted Emily, but I think I hurt her," he stammered. "I didn't mean to run into her, but she just came out of nowhere."

His voice cracked near the end as he ran an agitated hand through his dark cropped hair.

Emily's face softened but there was still an element of confusion in her soft brown eyes as she walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner, the bottle of formula forgotten as she turned her attention over to him.

"You imprinted?" she asked.

Embry merely nodded, "I was running and I jumped over a creek but I didn't see her on the other side of it. I ran into her claws first, Emily but when I went to see if she was okay she was gone. It was like she was never there but she had to have been. I know she was there."

Emily grimaced as she remembered Sam's claws piercing her own skin and ripping down across the length of her face but she soon regained her composure as she ran a soothing hand over his shaking shoulders. She knew to be careful when the boys began to shake, but she also knew that Embry needed some comforting at that moment. She had no answers for him as to his unusual predicament regarding his imprint, but she could offer her support.

Little Jenni imitated her mother and reached out a chubby hand to pat him as well and Embry calmed down enough as Emily let out a small laugh at her daughter's antics. He couldn't help but smile over at the adorable little girl as she giggled at him and clapped her hands together as if she was proud of her actions.

"Maybe she wasn't as close as you think she was? You probably missed her and she freaked out and ran," suggested Emily as she ruffled Jenni's wispy dark hair.

Embry shook his head, "No, I ran into her. I know I did, but-"

He trailed off as he set his bloodied washcloth down on the table. "I don't know."

"Well wherever she is I'm sure Sam and the rest of them will find her," she said as a loud bang echoed through the house as both Jared and Seth came strolling into the kitchen before stopping short at the sight of a cut up and bruised Embry.

"Jesus what happened to you?" asked Seth as he looked Embry up and down in obvious worry and curiosity.

"Yeah what happened, Embry? You sit on a pine cone again?" joked Jared as he stalked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.

Embry rolled his eyes, "that was once, Jared."

"Yeah but it was the fucking funniest thing ever," laughed Jared as Emily gave him a sharp look before looking over at Jenni, who was staring over at Jared with a curious expression as if she was trying to understand what new and exotic word he had just spoken.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," he said as he looked over at Jenni before he covered his mouth with his hand and looked over at Emily with an apologetic look on his face. Emily only rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back over to Embry, who was still trying to mop up some of the blood in his hair.

"Embry imprinted today," she said nonchalantly as she took the now red cloth out of Embry's hand and began to rinse it out.

"Really?" asked Seth in obvious excitement. "Who is she? Is she from the Reservation? Is she pretty?"

Seth continued to blabber on in excitement as he fired off question after question at Embry who had no answer, in turn, to give to the younger man. He knew nothing about his imprint other than that he had almost killed her and that she was probably traumatized for life by that point.

"I don't know who she is," said Embry as he touched the slowly healing gash on his forehead and winced. "I accidentally ran into her while I was patrolling but then she disappeared. I don't know if she's okay."

"You did what?" asked Jared as he turned his focus away from rooting around in the fridge and over to Embry.

"I ran into my imprint," said Embry with a groan as he accepted the clean washcloth from Emily and held it up to his head again.

"When you say you ran into your imprint are we talking run into or _run_ into her?" asked Jared slowly, his face becoming a mask of seriousness.

"I pretty much body slammed into her," said Embry as he tried his best to keep his sanity. He had full on body slammed into her with his claws directly pointed at her face and just the thought of that was enough to cause him to want to stick his head in a microwave and turn it on.

Both Jared and Seth went silent for a few deafening seconds as they looked at each other and then over to Embry, their smiles wiped clean off their worried faces.

"Well, is she okay?" asked Seth softly as he took in the forlorn expression on Embry's face.

"What was she doing out there? The Tribe doesn't allow humans in these parts of the Reservation," said Jared quietly.

"I don't know what she was doing out there," snapped Embry. "I don't even know where she is! After I ran into her she disappeared like a fucking ghost. I couldn't even pick up a scent on her."

Jared scoffed, "people don't just disappear like that. She has to be out there somewhere you just haven't looked hard enough."

"I looked for her!" said Embry defensively. "But she was there one second and gone the next. It didn't even feel like I ran into her at all."

"Maybe she's a vampire," said Jared offhandedly before he noticed the glare that adorned Embry's face and he held his hands up in the air in apology. "Sorry man, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying that humans can't disappear that quick."

"She was human," said Embry firmly. "I would've known if she wasn't."

"Okay then, we believe you," said Seth reassuringly. "Are you certain you couldn't smell her at all?"

"Not even Sam or Quil could smell her either."

"And you didn't hear her at all?" asked Jared.

Embry shook his head, "not even her heartbeat."

Embry knew that what he had just said sounded bad, but it was the truth. There was no way she could be a vampire and there was no way he could've imprinted on one anyways, well unless she was hybrid like Nessie was, but that wasn't the point. He knew his imprint had to have been human, but at the same time, some little part of him was starting to doubt that.

All three of them looked at each other as they held a silent conversation with each other before they all looked over at Embry, who was staring down at his legs with his forehead scrunched up in deep concentration.

"Embry, are you sure she was- _human?_ " asked Emily very carefully as she assessed his reaction.

"She- she has to be," said an uncertain Embry.

Emily looked as though she wanted to say something further when a lonely howl echoed through the forest followed by a chorus of other howls, all of them joining in to form their own melody. To an outsider, it sounded like a bunch of wolves just conversing, but Embry knew exactly what it meant.

It was a call to assemble.

 **V**


	4. Chapter 4

**V**

Without any warning, Embry was already out of his chair and running out into the backyard before he allowed himself to explode into his wolf form, his clothes already a shredded mess behind him as he ran over to the clearing where he knew they would be assembling. He could sense both Jared and Seth not far behind him through the bond as all three of them burst through the clearing to see the other wolves all sitting around. All of them turned to look at the newcomers as Embry quickly made his way over to Sam, who had been waiting for him.

 _"_ _Did you find her yet?"_ asked Embry.

 _"_ _We searched all over the Reservation for her, Embry. But none of us could find her,"_ said Sam solemnly.

 _"_ _What do you mean you couldn't find her?"_ asked an agitated Embry. _"She has to be out there Sam!"_

 _"_ _We looked everywhere Embry, but we just couldn't find her,"_ said Quil as he made his way over to the grey wolf. _"I swear Embry. We did everything that we could."_

 _"_ _B-but- "Embry_ before he turned his head to face both Paul and Brady, who merely shook their head while remaining unceremoniously calm through the pack bond.

 _"_ _Embry- "began_ Sam before Embry cut him off with a hardened stare.

 _"_ _I'm going to look for her,"_ said Embry firmly as he shoved past Paul and Brady and ran into the thick foliage with determination as he tried to picture his imprint from what little he had seen of her. All he had seen were her hazel eyes that had shown in the light like emeralds with flecks of brown and gold in them. He had no idea what color her hair was other than either brown or black or even what color her skin was, only that she had the most vibrant eyes that he had ever seen. He would recognize her if he ever saw her again, although her image was fuzzy in his mind.

No one followed him as he ran through the forest. The sun overhead slowly but surely made its way across the sky and the hours ticked on until he realized that the stars were already shining brightly above him, but he couldn't go home. He couldn't go home when he knew that his imprint was out there, somewhere.

He didn't care if his mom yelled at him for hours on end and punished him. He couldn't leave her out there by herself and he was too stubborn to walk away.

Gradually, the stars and the moon disappeared behind a veil of clouds and the scent of rain became prominent, meaning that a storm was beginning to roll in but not even that was enough to get him to stop his search. It was still dark out, but Embry could feel that it was early morning and that the sun would be peaking over the mountains soon, which meant that his mother would soon be realizing that he never came home the previous night if she hadn't already.

 _"_ _Embry,"_ came Sam's booming voice over the bond as he phased and read the younger wolfs thoughts, _"Embry, you've been out here searching all night. You need to go home and get some rest and something to eat then you can come back and continue with your search."_

 _"_ _No,"_ growled Embry as he turned his head to see the large black form of the alpha running not far behind him, _"I haven't found her yet."_

 _"_ _And you probably won't. Embry, she's probably long gone by now. You'd have better luck looking for her on the Reservation or in Forks. Have you even thought about going to the hospital and looking for her there?"_

 _"_ _-Well, no,"_ thought Embry awkwardly, _"but that's a really good idea!"_

He was about to veer off in the direction of Forks when Sam stopped him.

 _"_ _Embry, you need to go home now. I can have one of the others go there and look, but you need to get home and get some rest. You've been out here all night and your moms worried sick about you."_

 _"_ _As if you care about that,"_ snarled Embry, _"you've never cared about my home situation before now. Why the sudden interest, Uley?"_

 _"_ _Because she called the police to tell them that you never came home last night or the night before,"_ said Sam.

 _"_ _And whose fault is that?"_ growled Embry, _"if you didn't make me pick up Paul's shifts then maybe she wouldn't be freaking out. I'm going to get grounded because of you and fucking Paul."_

 _"_ _I had Emily call her and tell her that you spent the night over at our house and she called the police off. She was really worried about you, just about called everyone on the Reservation to ask if they had seen you."_

 _"_ _I'll make sure to call her as soon as I check the hospital,"_ said Embry with determination as he started to run in the direction of the hospital before Sam stopped him dead in his tracks with his booming alpha voice.

 _"_ _Go home Embry, that's not a suggestion."_

 _"_ _But- "_

 _"_ _I already sent Paul over to the hospital to check,"_ he said simply, _"he'll call if he finds anything. In the meantime, you need to go home and prove to your mother that you're not dead in a ditch somewhere."_

 _"_ _I can't just lea- "_

 _"_ _She's not out here, Embry. You've been out here since yesterday afternoon and you haven't managed to find one trace of her. Face it, you're not going to find her out here. Your best bet is probably in the town."_

It was true, much to Embry's dismay, that she was probably not out here like he had thought she was. She was probably in her home telling her family how an oversized wolf tried to kill her while out on an adventurous hike in the off-limits part of the Reservation.

 _Or, she's lying on a hospital bed with a shredded face,_ he thought bitterly as imagined her face covered in bloodied gauze, just like Emily's had.

Sam recoiled at the unintentional thought, but Embry couldn't help it. How could he not after what had happened yesterday? His claws had been sailing right towards her face, ready to tear into her skin and-

Sam growled, low and unthreatening, but the point was taken as Embry began to slowly back away, sorry that he had exposed Sam to such raw images. Even after all these years, Sam had never managed to forgive himself for that, and he never would.

 _"_ _Sorry, I'm just really worried about her, Sam."_

 _"_ _I know,"_ said Sam in understanding, _"we'll find her, but I can't let you wear yourself out like this. You need a break, and your mom needs to calm down. The last thing we need is her snooping around here trying to find out where you are."_

His mother could be relentless sometimes, and something told Embry it wouldn't hurt to at least check in with her and assure her that he wasn't in some trailer snorting coke and doing steroids like she thought he was. And Sam was right, he needed to get some rest before he wore himself down completely, and some food and water wouldn't hurt either.

It pained him to walk away like that and all he could at that point was reassure himself that she couldn't be out there, he would've found her if that was the case. It was pointless to keep searching for her somewhere he knew she wasn't. He felt defeated as he made his way back to his house, every step painful and every muscle in his body sore not the mention the ache in his chest at his strange dilemma. He was at a loss about what to do at that point and he had no idea in what direction to turn anymore but home to face his mother's wrath.

He could feel the exhaustion coursing through his body, a result of his lack of sleep and food for sure. Every step was sluggish as the soreness crept over him, but he barely registered as his mind was focused on other more important things than his physical state.

He phased back into his human form just outside of his house on the edge of the forest and pulled on the clothes that he especially hid there for such occasions where his mother couldn't find them. He groaned as he made his way up the steps to the porch and opened the sliding glass door and into the kitchen where he could see his mother with her back to him as she yammered away on the phone, her back turned to him and oblivious to his entrance.

"-no, he hasn't come home at all. I called his school and the office lady told me that she saw him leaving with that blasted Uley gang again. He hasn't called or texted me since then and I am really starting to worry, Fiona. What if something happened to him?"

Embry closed the door as quietly as he could as he lightly stalked through the kitchen, careful not to make too much noise unless his mother heard him. Unfortunately, he had not anticipated the dog, who raced out of his mom's room yapping and barking excitedly as she jumped up and down begging for his attention.

"Embry? Is that you?" she called from the kitchen.

Embry cringed, "yeah, it's me."

She was silent for a few heavy seconds before she said goodbye to her friend and slammed the phone back on the receiver, loud enough for both Embry and the dog to involuntarily flinch. The dog whined as she ran off towards the garage with her tail between her legs, leaving Embry all by himself to face his angry mother.

Oh, how he wished he could run away like that.

"Embry Call you had better have a good explanation as to why you didn't bother to tell me you were staying over at Sam and Emily's. Do you know how worried I was when I discovered that you never came home last night?"

Embry cringed, "It was late, so I just decided to stay over at their place. I forgot to tell you."

"You forgot?" she asked incredulously as she placed her hands on her hips, "you forgot to tell me that you were planning on staying the night over at a friend's house? You know better than to leave me wondering where you are."

"I'm eighteen," he said defensively, "I don't have to tell you where I am all the time."

"You live under my roof and so long as you do you will abide by my rules, young man. Is it that hard for you just check in with me once and while so I know you're okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry," he said as he raised his hands in the air in surrender, "I won't forget next time."

"You bet your ass you won't," she yelled as he turned away from her and started to make his way into his room, "if you ever do that again I will make sure you never have the chance!"

"You're making a big deal out of nothing," he said as he fell back onto his bed, "I wasn't in any trouble. Why do you always think the worst when I'm out with my friends?"

"Because I worry about you, Embry. You're always out with Sam and his gang and I have no idea what you do with them or if you guys are doing something dangerous. I'm your mother, I have a right to know you're safe."

"I was just working down at the garage yesterday," he said exasperatedly, "I wasn't out doing drugs or drinking if that's what you're wondering."

"Don't talk to me like that," she said sternly as she pointed her finger at him, "I am your mother, you will show me more respect than that."

"What? I told you I wasn't doing anything bad," he said as he started to feel himself get worked up. He knew he needed to calm himself down or something bad would happen, but he couldn't help but be a little angry at his mom considering all the shit he had just gone through. Her yelling and yapping at him weren't helping the already tense situation at all.

"Well, I wouldn't think that if you weren't so damn mysterious. You're always out with Sam and his gang all that time and I never have any clue where you are anymore. Why do you even hang out with them?"

"I could tell you, but you wouldn't understand anyway," he said bitterly, wishing that he could explain all of it to her. Once upon a time, he and his mother had been close but ever since he had phased they had grown apart, it also didn't help that he was forbidden from telling her anything at all.

It was unfair how everyone else's parents knew, but he was being forced to keep his mother in the dark all because Sam thought it was dangerous to tell her.

"Well, there is one thing I think that both you and I do understand and that is the fact that you're grounded," she said as she placed her hands on her hips, "you might as well forget about any plans you had this weekend cause you're not going anywhere."

Embry's eyes flew open as he shot up in bed, "no, I have stuff to do this weekend! You can't just do that!"

"Wasn't it you that told me you didn't have anything to do this weekend?" she asked as Embry mentally cursed himself for telling her that he didn't have any plans."

"Something came up," he said earnestly, "and I told Sam that I would help him with something down at the shop."

"Well cancel," she said simply as she grabbed both his phone and his keys off his dresser, "because you'll be too busy working on cleaning the garage this weekend to help Sam out. And once you're done with that, then you can have these back."

She waved both his keys and his phone in the air as Embry threw up his hands in protest, "I don't have time to clean out the entire garage! Have you seen just how filthy it is in there?"

"Yes, actually I have," she said coyly, "you can start now or later, I don't care. Just get it done before Monday, you hear?"

With that, she walked away as Embry groaned and fell back onto his bed, the need to punch something becoming suddenly overwhelming. Paul was supposed to text him to tell him whether he found anything down at the hospital, but he knew that there was no way he would be getting his phone back until the garage was spotless. He didn't care so much about his keys, but he would need them to drive down to Forks later and wolf traveling was not an option for going into the town.

The garage was an absolute mess, full of shit that had been compiling there since, well- since before he was even born. There was no way that he could get through it in a month, let alone before Monday. But his mother was unwavering in her punishment and he knew that there would be no escaping it this time, no matter what.

 _Just suck it up and do it,_ he thought as he opened the door to stare out at the pig's sty that they called a garage, _it won't take that long with your strength anyway. Just do it and then you can go look for her again._

He sighed as he stared up at the multitude of boxes that lined the shelves that had not been touched in years, his only strategy at that time to get through them as fast as he could so that he could go look for the girl in the woods.

And while staring up at the junk-filled boxes, Embry came to one conclusion.

Imprinting sucked.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm so sorry for the extremely late update. Life got in the way and then I was focused on my other works that I almost forgot about this one.**

 **So without further adieu...**

 **V**

Embry sighed as he stared at the little progress he had managed to make in the last few hours since he had started. He had apparently miscalculated just how much work this would be, even with his superhuman strength, which wasn't helping him out as much as he thought it would.

He just wanted to be done so that he could get back into the search or see what Paul found at the hospital. The suspense was killing him and he could only hope at that point that Paul would drop by physically to tell him what he had found, but still nothing.

It infuriated him and it made him want to take his frustrations out on a wall.

There were only a few more boxes to go through. Just a few more and then he would be done.

He groaned as he reached up and started to pull down the next box. It had about two inches of dust around it, indicating that it had been there for a long time. Written in sharpie along the side of the cardboard was his birth year, the year that his mother had officially dropped out of high school to have him. His mother's handwriting was sloppy and the box was obviously old seeing as the sides were threatening to tear apart, and so he tried to be extra careful as he pulled it into his hands.

Apparently, he was not as careful as he thought because one moment it was safe and secure in his arms before it slipped out of his hands and onto the floor with a loud crash as everything spilled out onto the floor, causing Embry to curse as he stared out at the decades-old worth of crap that now littered the floor.

Most of it was pictures, old and worn and dusty with a few ribbons and trophies that she had earned during her time in the varsity gymnastics team at her old school along with a few of her yearbooks. His mother had not particularly enjoyed her time in high school, mostly because she was ostracized by most of her friends when she fell pregnant with him and was forced to drop out the beginning of her junior year. It was no surprise to him that she had hidden it all away in a box in the garage all these years to collect dust. She probably didn't even remember that all this junk was in here.

"Embry?" she yelled from inside. "What was that?"

"I dropped something," he called back as he made his way down the ladder, "don't worry about it."

"Okay," she said simply before she opened the door to the back patio.

Embry cursed as he bent down and began to collect the array of pictures that featured a young Tiffany Call with her friends, all of them happy and innocent as they stared up at the camera. His mother looked so young and carefree in them, obviously not yet burdened by her son.

There were a few envelopes and trinkets along with the ribbons and a few notebooks along with the pictures as well as an array of other junk that had once been his mothers. It was a pain cleaning it all up and he was almost finished when something strange caught his eye.

There, in the far corner of the garage was a wrinkled newspaper clipping, the edges frayed and obviously decades old with a photo stapled to the front of it along with an envelope addressed to somebody named Rachel Ward. His mother's handwriting was scratchy and almost illegible and the envelope was yellowed by time.

Embry had no idea why he was drawn to the folded up newspaper clipping that had obviously been cut out of the original article, but he found himself unfolding it to read the headline.

 **Police comb woods for missing high school student Rachel Ward, 18**

Embry read the headline before his eyes drifted down the grainy black and white image that was situated between the paragraphs of the article, and his heart almost stopped.

The image may have been grainy and there may have been what looked like a coffee ring around it, but he most definitely recognized the smiling girl staring back at him, her arm slung around another girl whose image had been blurred out. Even though he had barely seen her, he knew that this was her. There was no question that the girl staring back at him with a carefree smile on her lips and her hair blowing in the wind was his imprint.

He could feel his breathing deepen as his grip on the clipping tightened, his eyes traveling down to the school photo of her at the bottom that looked glaringly like something right out of the late eighties and early nineties. Her dark hair was blown out in the typical eighties hairstyle that fell down her shoulders in thick loose waves along with a nirvana tank and a leather jacket and a choker around her neck.

She was so stunningly beautiful that it made his chest hurt as he stared down at her picture, memorizing every little detail about her. The curve of her smile, the way her left eyebrow was higher than her right, the small mole that rested just below the corner of her eye. Everything about her was perfect, even her imperfections.

He eventually tore his eyes away from her picture to take a proper look at the rest of the article, the word **missing** suddenly a glaring reminder as his eyes swept over the rest of the clipping.

His eyes swept across the date and his heart nearly stopped beating. The date on the newspaper clip read June 1st, 1990, which he knew was impossible. If the date was correct, then that meant that this newspaper clipping was over eighteen years old, which was how old he was.

He sat the clipping down before he tore the yellowed envelope open that had been addressed to her by his mother, his heart beating rapidly within his chest as he unloaded its contents into his shaking hands. Inside were a few more article clippings along with a few more photos along with a memorial card for a funeral service.

The first photo was of Rachel and- _his mother?_ He thought his eyes were deceiving him as he looked at the two teen girls, their arms slung around each other with big smiles planted on their lips. There was no mistaking the girl standing next to his imprint, no matter how impossible it was. The small swell of her belly was proof enough that it was his mother, who was already pregnant with him from the looks of it.

The rest of the photos were of the two of them, and it became obvious just from looking at them that his mother and his imprint were very close. But how was that even possible-?

On the back of the first photo was the date May 13th, 1990 and some of them went back even further than that, 1989, 1988 and so on and on.

Embry was certain that the room was spinning at that point as he slowly set the photos aside, his hands sweaty and shaking as he unfolded the first newspaper clipping. The words- **Runaway or Kidnap Victim? The Search for Missing 18-Year-Old Girl Continues**

Embry exhaled, his hands still shaking as he opened the next one.

 **New Evidence Found in Woods Suggests The Missing Girl Was Murdered, Police Open an Official Murder Investigation**

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

 **Parents of Rachel Ward Make a Heartfelt Plea to the Public Asking Anybody With Information About Their Daughter's Murder to Step Forward**

 _And-_

 **Five Years Since Rachel Ward's Disappearance and Still No Answers**

Finally, he reached the last clipping. His hands were shaking so hard he didn't think he could read the last one, but he couldn't resist as he unfolded it and skimmed over the headline, the wolf inside of him threatening to emerge at any second.

 **Rachel Ward Declared Dead in Absentia by Judge 8 Years After Her Disappearance**

He dropped the clipping as if had burned him, his eyes fixated on her photo as it fell to the ground.

He could feel his body vibrating as he tried to make sense of everything he had just read, but nothing he came up with could explain just what the hell was going on. His imprint, the girl in the woods was Rachel Ward, a girl who had known his mother and who had gone missing more than eighteen years ago. None of it made sense and he was certain that when he had seen her in the woods, she had not looked that old. But then again, he had only seen her for maybe a second or two before he had body-slammed her, but that left him with more questions than ever before.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to control the wolf inside of him as he snatched all of it up in his hands and ran outside with determination. He stuffed all of the clippings and the photos in a bag along with the unread letter from his mother before tying it to his leg before exploding into his wolf form.

He ran as fast as he could to Sam and Emily's house, his heart racing and his mind in a flurry as he pushed ahead, his giant paws pounding against the Earth as he tried his best to collect his train of thoughts.

His imprint was dead and yet she wasn't at the same time. He had seen her with his own eyes and yet the newspaper was adamant that she was dead, possibly murdered-

He growled at the prospect before he let out a pained howl, unable to contain his despair anymore.

 **V**

 **AN: I hope you enjoyed. Short update but I'm working on it, so don't worry. Hopefully, the next update will be soon and hopefully, poor Embry can get some answers lol.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Playlist**

 _In My Bones by Ron Pope_

 _You Are The Reason by Calum Scott_

 _What About Angels by Birdy_

 _Let Her Go by Passenger_

 _Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars_

 **V**

"The name Rachel Ward does sound familiar," said Sam as he looked at the photograph, a thoughtful frown on his face as he turned the picture over to the back. "Are you sure this is her?"

"I've never been surer in my entire life."

"Quil?" Sam gaze drifted over to him as he slid the newspaper clipping across the table. "What do you say?"

Quil stared down at the photo for a few good seconds before he shook his head, uncertainty flooding his features, "I can't say for sure."

"But you saw her," urged Embry as Quil continued to shake his head.

"I only saw a glimpse of her through the link. I didn't actually see her," replied Quil as he pushed the photo back towards Embry. "Besides, how could it be her? This girl has been dead for eighteen years."

"Missing," snapped Embry, his patience already wearing extremely thin. "She's missing, not dead. There's a difference."

"Not really," said Paul as he opened a can of coke and began to sip out of it. "Don't you know what dead in absentia means?"

"You're about to be dead in absentia here in a minute," growled Embry as Paul flipped him the bird.

"Stop it you two," said Emily as she bounced the baby on her hip, her gaze traveling down to the assortment of photographs on the table, a small frown on her lips. "I hate to admit it Embry, but I really do think she's dead."

"I remember my parents talking about her a few times. They said she was murdered but they never found her body," said Paul as he plopped himself down on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table, much to Emily's chagrin.

Embry growled to which Paul merely shrugged, slurping his coke.

"How could they know for that sure?" asked Quil as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because they found the murder weapon," said Jared from his spot on the couch as he swiveled his laptop around so that the rest of them could see what it was he had been researching. "I looked up the case. A few days after she went missing, the police found a knife in the woods. The blood belonged to her."

Embry yanked the laptop out of Jared's hand as he settled himself on the edge of the couch, his eyes sweeping over the screen as he read the report for himself. It was true, DNA testing had revealed that the blood on the knife had belonged to her. They also found her car keys and her jacket, torn and mangled and covered in blood. _Her blood._

"But that doesn't mean anything," said Embry as he shook his head in denial. "That doesn't mean she died. She could've been abducted or something. They never found her body. She could still be out there."

Hope fluttered in his chest as Embry held fast to that belief. It was all he had, and he didn't want to let go.

"Embry," said Emily as she sunk down on the couch next to him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder, "I don't know what you saw out there in those woods, but I don't think it was her."

"None of this makes sense," muttered Embry under his breath as he pulled away from Emily's gentle touch. He stood up and made his way over to the window and stared out at the green landscape. "I imprinted. I know I did."

"Maybe we're looking at this all wrong," said Quil after a few moments of silence, his voice low and full of uncertainty. "Maybe she really was there."

"What do you mean?" asked a skeptical Jared.

Quil looked hesitant as he wrung his hands, "what if she really did die, but Embry saw her out in those woods?"

Paul scoffed, "what are you trying to say, Ateara? That Embry saw a ghost?"

"It's not that farfetched that ghosts exist," replied Quil defensively. "I mean, look at us. Look at the Cullens. We are the supernatural if you haven't noticed. It's not that farfetched to surmise that we are not the only supernatural creatures in this world."

The hair on Embry's neck stuck up as the wolf inside of him grew restless. While Quil's proposal sounded strange, there was a part of Embry that agreed with him. The supernatural did exist and they were living proof of that. But ghosts?

Jared burst out into laughter from where he sat on the couch, obviously finding the idea quite humorous.

"Really? Ghosts? What's next? Mermaids and unicorns?"

"Jared," hissed Emily as she gave him a death glare from where she sat.

"What? You can't really believe that Embry imprinted on an actual ghost, can you?" he asked with raised hands as Paul smirked.

"Tough break, Call. I wonder what's gonna happen next now that you've imprinted on Casper the friendly ghost," he continued to obnoxiously slurp his coke, obviously not buying into it either.

Embry glowered over at Paul. If looks could kill, Paul would be dead and, in the ground, maybe even a ghost if Quil was to be believed.

"Never mind," muttered Quil under his breath, "it was a stupid idea. Forget I ever mentioned it."

Embry groaned as he rested his head in his hands and exhaled deeply through his nose. Distantly, he could feel Emily's comforting hand on his shoulder drawing little circles on the warm skin with her fingers.

"You found these in your mom's belongings, didn't you?" she asked as she grabbed hold of the newspaper clippings that were strewed across the coffee table.

Embry nodded, his head still in his hands.

"Then why don't you try asking her?" proposed Emily as she looked down at the photos in her hands. "It looks as though this Rachel and your mom were pretty close in high school. Has your mom ever mentioned her before?"

Embry racked his brain as he tried to remember. Did his mom ever mention a missing friend before? It didn't seem—

 _Oh._

He nodded as he felt his muscles stiffen. His mother had indeed mentioned that her best friend in high school, who had remained unnamed, had gone missing years ago and had never been seen since. When Embry was a child, barely old enough to remember, his mother had taken him to a funeral service. For who, he had no idea. He had been more concerned with the scratchy neck his mom had tied around his neck and whether or not Quil wanted to play monster truck later that day. God, that memory had been buried so far in the recesses of his mind and he had almost forgotten about it entirely.

He had attended his own imprints funeral and hadn't even known it.

"You alright there, Call? You don't look so good," remarked Jared as Embry clutched his stomach to prevent himself from getting sick. He could taste acid bubbling at the back of his throat and his stomach felt like the inside of a washing machine.

"I need to go," said Embry as he grabbed the photographs and rose from his seat and darted towards the door.

"Wait! Come back!" called Emily, but Embry barely heard her as he slammed the door shut and bolted towards the tree line. He didn't even wait to undress before he was soaring through the air, his clothes a shredded mess behind him.

He ran until his paws hurt and then he ran some more. Anything to block out the painful thoughts that controlled his mind. He knew he should go home, for his mother's sake. She would be pissed when she saw the mess on the garage floor and would probably yell at him or find some other way to punish him. But that was not what Embry was going to do.

He ran until he finally reached the creek where he had first seen her and laid down on the wet, dewy ground. Some part of him hoped that he would find her here again, but as reality settled in the more he realized that the likelihood of that happening was slim.

She was dead. She was dead and she was never coming back. The wolf inside of him whimpered in despair for a woman that was untouchable, just like the moon they so often howled at. Is that why wolves howled at the moon? The moon, so bright and yet so far. An unreachable orb of ethereal beauty that not even their howls could reach. He lifted his head and let out a long, pained howl that echoed throughout the empty forest.

He could only pray that it had reached his moon.

 **V**

 **AN: I created a playlist for this story! Also, sorry for the delay. However, I do have part of the next chapter written. Don't worry, this story isn't going to end here. If it did I would a horrible person.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**V**

He needed to know the truth about what happened to his imprint. The need to know what happened that day coursed through him, like an unstoppable current of water that never ended. Determined, he ran home to the one person that he knew could give him information.

His mother was surfing the internet when he came barreling into the house covered in dirt and with nothing on except for a pair of old worn-out cutoffs, a wild look in his eyes as she gasped in surprise, the cup of coffee in her hand falling to the floor as it shattered into a million little pieces.

"What on earth—" she began, anger lining her voice, but he didn't let her get a word in edgewise as he closed the back door and hastily pulled a chair up to the table, ignoring the little pieces of glass that littered the floor.

"Rachel Ward," he said as he slammed the picture down on the table and pointed to the two of them. "You knew her."

Tiffany Call opened her mouth to protest but froze when she looked down at the photograph, her eyes widening as she picked the picture up off the table and stared down at it through the lens of her reading glasses. She looked as though she was seeing a ghost as she stared down at the smiling face of Rachel Ward before she looked up at her son.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, her voices strained.

"What happened to her?" pleaded Embry, ignoring her previous question. "Mom—"

"Where did you get this?" she asked again, firmly. "I haven't seen this picture in years. I thought I had lost it or something…"

Embry swallowed, "I found it in the garage—"

"In one of the boxes?" she asked as he nodded.

She looked back down at the photograph as Embry stared at her expectantly.

"Who was she?" he asked after a few moments of silence, his voice much calmer than it had been prior. "Were you two friends?"

"Her name was Sarah Rachel Ward, but she always went by Rachel. She hated the name Sarah," began his mother, a far-a-way look in her eyes as she spoke. "We both worked down at the shop together on First Beach when I was sixteen and she was eighteen. She was the first person I met when I moved down here. We were very close."

She looked back down at the picture and sighed, "at least, we were until she died."

Embry couldn't help but shake as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying his hardest to control the Wolf inside of him. It was a struggle not to give in to his most primal instinct and let the animal inside of him go, but he maintained control as his mother set the photograph back down on the table and turned her gaze on him.

"Embry?" she asked. "What is this about?"

"What happened to her?" he asked, his voice pained. "The night she—"

He couldn't say it. He couldn't admit that she was dead, the Wolf inside of him wouldn't allow it. He hadn't imagined her and he knew what he saw was real, the imprint bond between them was a testament to that. He remembered what Quil had said earlier that day about her being a ghost. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that either Quil was right or at least on the right track.

"The night she disappeared?" said his mother, finishing his question for him as he swallowed and nodded.

"We went to a bonfire down at First Beach," began his mother as she leaned forward. "Billy had been in the shop earlier that day and he invited us to listen to the legends, so we both went. I had been to a few before that with your—"

She paused, the words _father_ dying on her tongue before they even had the chance to be spoken.

"With my father?" he asked as she nodded, albeit hesitantly.

"Yes," she confirmed as she wrung her hands nervously, "it was the first time that she had been invited to one. Rachel wasn't a part of the tribe and she went to school in Forks, so she didn't really know anybody there besides me."

"Was that the night—?"

She nodded, "it started to rain, and she had a curfew. Her parents were strict, so I didn't ask her to stay longer. I asked her if she wanted me to walk her to her car or if one of the guys there could escort her, but she refused. She was very independent like that. No one could help her if she didn't want it."

His mother pursed her lips, clearly distraught at the memory.

"That was the last time I ever saw her. She never made it to her car," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "Her parents went to the police the next morning and they started a search. The cops thought she had run away or something, so they didn't look all that hard for her until they found the bloodied clothes. Only then did it become serious, but it was too late."

Embry inhaled sharply as his mother continued.

"It was like she vanished into thin air. No one knows exactly what happened that night. First, they thought she ran away, then they thought she was kidnapped, then they thought suicide. Nobody thought she had been the victim of murder at first, not in this small town. Stuff like that… It just doesn't happen. Maybe in the big city, but here?"

"And they didn't find a body or anything?" asked Embry. "They couldn't find her, so they just gave up?"

"It wasn't like that," argued his mother. "The case went cold. The Detectives worked the case until there were no more leads to follow. There just wasn't enough evidence to point fingers at anybody."

"Or they just didn't try hard enough," said Embry, his voice dangerously low.

His mother shook her head, "no, there were no leads. No witnesses and not a lot of evidence to go off of. They tried to find her body, but not even the cadaver dogs could find her. The rain had washed away her scent. All they had was the bloody clothing and the knife, no fingerprints or DNA."

Embry said nothing as he hung his head, his elbows on the table with his head in his hands while his mother watched him in silence.

"Embry," she said after a few moments, her voice soft and comforting but also confused, "what is this about?"

Embry sighed as he looked over at his mother with tired eyes and frowned, uncertain how to explain his sudden interest in her dead best friend. He wanted to tell her everything, spill his heart out to the one person in his life who had loved and cared for him beyond measure, but the words died on his lips as Sam's stern reminder filtered through his head. He couldn't tell her, couldn't confide in her.

"I remember—" he swallowed heavily, "I remember her memorial service."

His mother nodded, "her parents put off having one for years because they still believed that she was alive. It wasn't until the judge declared her dead in absentia eight years later that they finally had one. You had just turned eight when we went. You never even met her, but I thought you should be there because—"

She paused as her demeanor suddenly grew distant.

"Why?" asked Embry, desperate to know. "Why did you take me?"

"When I found out I was pregnant with you," she began as she grabbed a hold of his hand from across the table, "when I found out I was pregnant with you, I lost a lot of my friends. People looked at me differently. My parents wanted me to get an abortion, told me I was too young and too stupid to take care of a baby, but I wanted you. I knew I wanted you from the moment I found out about you. So, I got emancipated and packed up everything I owned into my car and came down here. She was the first person I met down here who was actually nice to me."

His mother had told him the story before about how her parents had kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant, but she hadn't told him about them wanting her to get an abortion nor had she told him about Rachel, but he eagerly listened as he nodded for her to go on.

"I mean, I didn't know her all that long. Only a few months, but we became inseparable during that time. She was actually the one to get me a job with her down at the shop if you can believe it," she said, a sad smile on her lips. "She had just graduated from Forks High and was getting ready to head off to university. She wanted to be a lawyer."

"Mom, I—" Embry began as he looked back down at the photograph, his emotions getting the better of him as he closed his eyes. "I have to go."

He snatched the picture up off the table as his mother jumped up from her seat, her hand wrapping tightly around his arm to keep him from leaving.

"Embry, wait," she pleaded as he stopped and looked down at her, "I know this may sound strange, but I have to ask you this."

He frowned as he stared down into her eyes, which were wide with fright as her grip on his arm tightened.

"Do you see her too?"

 **V**

 **AN: I am so sorry for the super late update! I originally had this chapter all planned out but when I started writing it, it just didn't flow as I had intended for it, so I ended up writing this instead and changing my outline a little bit. I know it's really short but I hope you guys enjoyed. And thank you for the feedback that I have received on this story! You guys are the best XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**V**

A cold, tense silence filled the room as Embry gaped down at his mother, his mouth wide open as he tried to make sense of what she had just said. Her hand was still wrapped around his arm, holding him firmly in place as he blinked.

"What?"

"Do you—" she looked around the room cautiously before lowering her voice to that of a whisper, "do you see her too?"

Embry blinked again, "wh— what are you talking about?"

His mother let go of his arm as she began to pace in front of him, her nails in her mouth as she chewed nervously. She ran an agitated hand through her thick black hair while Embry watched, dumbfounded.

"Mom?"

" _No no no_ ," she muttered under her breath. "It's not possible—"

"Mom?" asked Embry, this time there was fear in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said Tiffany Call as she looked up into her son's eyes. "You must be so confused."

"Uh yeah," he replied with raised eyebrows as his mother began to pace again. "What are you talking about? You've seen her too?"

She moved onto biting a different nail as she nodded. "I thought I was going crazy all these years."

"Wait," began Embry as he held up his hands, "how long have you been seeing her?"

She paused as she turned to look at him, "do you remember that summer you spent at the Ateara's while I was away at work in San Francisco?"

He scratched his head as he nodded. He had been six when his mother had dropped him off at Quil's parents with nothing more than a suitcase and a note for Mr. and Mrs. Ateara before she had kissed him goodbye, telling him that she was leaving for a little bit but that she would be back soon. Quil's parents had taken him in no questions asked and he ended up staying for the whole summer before his mother came back a week before school started and took him home. It had been one of the best summers of his entire life.

"Well I wasn't in San Francisco," she said as she exhaled sharply. "That was the summer I went ahead and myself checked into a psychiatric hospital in Seattle."

 _What?_

"Wait, that's where you went all summer?" asked Embry, flabbergasted. "You were in Seattle?!"

She nodded as he shook his head, "but, the postcards you sent… And the phone calls. You made that all up?"

"I had too," she replied. "You were too young to understand, and I couldn't bring you with me."

"So, you lied to me?!" he yelled, his anger getting the better of him.

"I checked myself in there because I thought I was going crazy," she said, tears pooling in her eyes. "I kept seeing her everywhere, and not just her. There were others too."

"Other ghosts?"

"Other spirits," she corrected.

Embry froze at the word _spirit_ as his mind traveled back to all the legends that Billy had told during the bonfires. Billy had often spoken of the spiritual realm, referring to the pack as the Spirit Warriors of old. It was a well-known fact that their ancestors were able to leave their bodies behind, in fact, that was how Taha Aki had been able to take the form of a wolf.

 _But what about Rachel? What was she, exactly?_

"I have to go," said Embry as he stared down at the photograph, his mind racing. "I have to go talk to Billy."

He turned to leave, but his mother stopped him as she grabbed his arm. "Don't you see what this means, Embry? Don't you understand?"

"Understand what?" he asked as he tried to pry her hands off him.

"The legends. The Spirits," she said. "They're real. They're all real."

Embry gaped down at his mother with wide eyes as he wondered just how much his mother knew, but he decided not to grill her for information as he pried her hands off of him and ducked out of the door, the photograph still in his hands as he took off into the woods.

He exploded into his Wolf form, ignoring the thoughts of his pack mates as he tore through the woods to Billy's house, hopeful that Jacob's father would be able to give him more answers to this strange predicament.

Billy Black was seated on the back porch when Embry pulled on one of Jake's extra pair of cut-offs and made his way out of the woods and over towards the man in the wheelchair who had been waiting patiently for him, his keen eyes fixed on the young shapeshifter as he regarded him.

"I've been waiting for you," he called out as Embry made his way up the stairs. "After your pack mates told me what happened, I knew you would find your way to me eventually."

"Please, Billy," said Embry, his voice pleading. "I—I don't know what to do."

Billy stared at him for a few good moments before his dark eyes softened and he let out a long, tired sigh before looking out at the forest line.

"Why don't you come inside and make yourself comfortable," he said as he began to wheel himself inside the house. "There's a lot we need to talk about."

Embry followed him inside the house and lowered himself down onto the couch while Billy grabbed him a water bottle from the fridge and held it out to him, expectantly. Embry accepted the water with a thank you while Billy made himself comfortable as if preparing to share a very long and complicated story.

"Sam and Quil came by the other day and they told me what happened," he began, his tone placating as Embry visibly frowned. "It sounds as though you've gotten yourself into quite the mess here."

"I imprinted on a ghost," deadpanned Embry. "Didn't I?"

"It sounds like it," replied Billy. "At least from what I've been told, it does."

"How is that even possible?" asked Embry as he ran a hand through his hair, agitated.

Billy shrugged, "you have the ability to turn in a giant wolf capable of killing vampires and you're asking me that?"

"Yeah?" replied Embry, uncertain what the correct response to that would even be. "I mean, I'm no expert, but isn't there a tribe legend about haunting spirits?"

Billy nodded, "there are a few. Your mother's tribe, the Makah, have a few legends on it as well. The belief is that there are some people who return to the physical world after death in the form of haunting spirits. It is a common belief among our people, but I do believe that this is the first time that I've ever heard of an actual haunting spirit before. However, as far as imprinting on one… I'm not sure. This has never happened before."

They had all said the same thing about Claire when Quil had imprinted on her as a toddler and then about Renesmee when Jacob had imprinted on her, but this? This one took the cake for sure. Neither Quil nor Jacob had anything on him. Their imprints were alive and well, and Rachel… She was dead.

"B—but how?" asked Embry as his lip trembled. "I imprinted on a dead girl!"

Billy didn't say anything as he watched the young Shapeshifter gradually lose control of his emotions, a vivid combination of pure grief and unadulterated rage as he began to shake.

"Why?" he asked, hands shaking and lips still trembling. "Why would the Spirits do this to me? What's the point of imprinting on someone who's already dead?"

"The Great Spirits don't make mistakes—" began Billy as Embry's fists came down on the table, hard.

"Well they did this time!" he said before adding; "They fucked up because there's no way that this is even possible, let alone that it will even work out! I can't be with her or love her. I can't protect her because… because she's already dead!"

As soon as he said that, Embry slumped forward in his seat and rested his head in his hands, not wanting Billy to see him cry. He was a Shapeshifter. A Spirit Warrior of old and here he was crying at someone's table over a girl. A dead girl no less.

Distantly, he could feel Billy's hand on his arm, comforting before he spoke.

"Embry," he began, addressing him like he would his own son, "the Spirits do not make mistakes. This girl, alive or dead is your other half. Neither I nor you can change that."

Embry looked up at the older man as Billy continued.

"If this girl truly is a haunting spirit, then that means that she has been stuck in-between, forced to wander the Earth in search of a way to let go. I can only imagine the pain that she has endured these past eighteen years, trapped in an unnatural state."

"Because she was murdered?" asked Embry, utterly lost. "Is that why she can't move on?"

"You want my theory?" asked Billy as Embry nodded. "I think that the reason she hasn't been able to move on is because she's tied here. Tied to you."

"Then what?" asked Embry, lost. "What am I supposed to do? How do I help her?"

Billy remained silent as Embry waited expectantly for the older man to say something profound and wise like he usually did, but he never did. Instead, he shook his head.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" asked Embry, incredulity lacing his tone as Billy shook his head adamantly.

"Everyone imprints for a different reason," he replied. "No imprint is the same. Clearly, the Spirits chose her for a reason, but what that reason is I don't know. I can only speculate what they had in mind when they tied her to you, but not even I shall do that. That is something that you must discover on your own."

Embry closed his eyes as he remembered the conversation he had with his mother earlier.

"You knew her," he stated. "When she was alive. You knew her."

"I did," replied Billy solemnly as he took his hat off in reverence. "She used to work down at the souvenir shop on First Beach, the same place where your mom used to work. I always saw her around, hanging out with her friends or with her family and of course, she was very good friends with your mother. I even knew her parents. They were good people. They didn't deserve the pain they went through."

"You were the one who invited her to the bonfire," said Embry. "The night she went missing."

"I don't know anything," replied Billy, as if he could read the young Shapeshifter's mind. "I already told the Police. I didn't see or hear anything. If I had known—"

If he had known that the smiling girl wrapped up in a blanket roasting s'mores and listening intently to the Tribe legends would be murdered later that night, he would've done something. Anything.

"The last time I saw her," began Billy, "the last time anyone saw her alive, she was running towards her car trying to get out of the rain as fast as possible. What happened between then and her death… no one knows."

"No one but her," remarked Embry before adding; "and her killer."

Billy nodded, solemnly as Embry leaned back in his seat.

"So, you remember the case then?"

"Anyone who lived during that time couldn't forget it, even if they wanted to. It was all anyone ever talked about for years. Her disappearance was front-page news. Every fence and electric pole between Forks and La Push had her picture on it. There wasn't anybody on the Olympic Peninsula who didn't know her name."

"And the police?" asked Embry, slowly. "Are they still investigating her case?"

"You'd have to ask Charlie about that," replied Billy, "although, I don't he'll be much help. He was just a Rookie when that happened, barely out of the academy and with a new wife and baby. The Detectives that were working her case have long since retired and moved away."

"They just gave up," growled Embry as he started to shake again. The thought of the Detectives giving up on his imprint made his blood boil. She deserved so much better than that.

"It happens, unfortunately. Cases sometimes go cold, leads run out and the investigation hits a dead end. Some cases take years and even then, they don't always get solved," replied Billy, truthfully as he grew more and more somber. "I can't say I knew the young lady very well, but I saw what her death did to the community; to her family. Those Detectives may have given up, but that doesn't mean she was forgotten."

"How do I find her?" asked Embry. "I need to find her, Billy. I can't— I can't live without her. Please, tell me where to look."

Billy shook his head, "the spirit has to seek you out, not the other way around. If she wants to find you, she will, but you can't force it. Seeking a spirit out is never a good idea."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" yelled Embry as he threw his hands in the air in defeat.

"Wait."

Embry shook his head, "I can't just—"

"Yes, you can, and you will," he replied. "She will find you, eventually. You just have to be patient."

"And how long will that take?" asked Embry hysterically.

"However long it takes," was all Billy had to say to that.

"And if it takes an eternity?" asked Embry, eyes wide with terror at the thought.

 _Eternity was a very long time. Infinite and unending and unfortunately for Embry, the dead had all of eternity._

Billy merely shook his head as he pushed away from the table, leaving Embry in his wake as he wheeled himself out of the room. Outside, the rain continued to fall as Embry turned to stare out at the fat droplets as he thought about his imprint. Distantly, he could hear the chime of the grandfather clock from inside the house, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the window. She was out there in that rain, somewhere.

And for her, the world remained still… But for Embry, time went on.

And it never stopped.

 **V**

 **AN: For those of you ready for Embry and Rachel to properly meet, well I have good news! They will be meeting very, very soo. I'm aiming for either the next chapter or the chapter after that. I know the timeline for this story seems a little long, but this is a slow-burn angst fic and I will not apologize lol. Also, I should probably warn you guys that some weird things are going to happen in this story. I'm aiming for a slightly spooky, angst-ridden, crime-solving story with a happy ending and I am determined to finish it.**

 **And for those of you wondering how Embry's mother fits into this all, do not fret. All will be revealed in due time.**

 **Once again, thank you to everyone who has left a review! Every time I get a comment on this story I am never disappointed! You guys are the best and I love you :)**


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